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Month: August 2015

Four years ago I joined the Privateer Press Gang, and the first day of work as a PG was at the NOVA open. Each year it marks both the end of my convention season and my anniversary as a PG. This year, and many others, will also mark the anniversary of my first Convention as an official PP Judge. As you can see, NOVA means a lot to me, and I love watching the Warmachine and Hordes population there explode, as well as the population of the convention as a whole.

This year, for the first time, the Convention is set to sell over 1000 tickets, and Warmachine and Hordes are extremely likely to sell over 100 individual tickets. While some places see this as a slow year, I’m extremely excited. each year has nearly doubled its attendance, and this year, while a stretch, could do the same. It blows my mind to see the players from the Norther Virginia, Baltimore, Philly, NYC, New Jersey metas and even beyond make the trip to DC to throw down.

Marathon

Marathon mode is the real deal. It displays a contempt at your enjoyment and a brutal dismissal of everything resembling kindess the game has to offer in such a a stunning way that I don’t think I’m every going to consider playing the game in any other mode. While I think the Long War Mode might take the game a little too far, this option really hits it on the head. It is, in a single word, all that XCOM and its series represents – Unforgiving.

And I’m enjoying every moment of it.

Of course, spoilers beyond, though I assume you know that, as I walk through the options I choose for my Marathon GameContinue reading

Don’t Fear the Reaper

Every once in a while, there is something about Warmachine and Hordes that strikes you strange, when you didn’t really know it was a strange thing to begin with. Recently, I’ve been working on learning matchups, evaluating army lists, and factoring in both overall and local meta into my own list composition. I’ve been using Skorne for just over 8 months now, with a slightly above average success rate using a number of different casters. I won’t say I’m a master of the Ways of Hoskune or anything, but I’ve been playing them on and off for 8 years, I like to think I know what I’m talking about.

Which leads me to the statement above. Something I was talking about with a friend struck me as strange, and something that I’d never considered before: Cryx, And Body and Soul in particular, are a difficult matchup for Skorne.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown and Enemy Within are easily my favorite game(s) to come out in at least the last 3 years. There were other honorable mentions along the way, but none of them drive me to play again and again in the way that XCOM does, has, and will continue to. With the announcement of XCOM2 to come this November, I’ve been itching to make an attempt at the longest version of the game published: Marathon Mode. Though Impossible is an option I’ve been eyeing, its not likely to come to fruition.

I’ve beat Classic, and Classic Ironman, so I figure the next, honest, step is that to Classic Marathon Ironman.

Of course, spoilers beyond, though I assume you know that, as I walk through the options I choose for my Marathon Game

The last few weeks have been pretty rotten to me in terms of being on a regular schedule with writing. Sadly, I’ve come to a grinding halt with the Mythology Monday articles, because they are extremely hard to write on top of the fact that I don’t know that the provide me anything necessary for the world I am assembling. Combined that with a couple emergencies and family days out, and its been exceedingly hectic throughout the month, and that it looks to be getting worse, not better.

The upside to all of this activity is that I’ve been storing topics and I’ve a number that I’ll be talking about when I get the chance. In preparation of XCOM 2 coming this fall, I’ve decided to try and experience Marathon Mode in all its hellacious glory; I think I’ve talked about it but I’ve recently beaten Dragon Age: Inquisition; I’ve been grinding away at my D&D players will to live, and I’ve picked up the brush and started painting more casters, most recently Zaal 2 and Morghoul 2.

So, I’ll get back in stride as soon as I can manage it, though NOVA and Brawltimore Scheduling will undoubtedly prove to be obstacles. Until then, though, I’m just going to be tossing out what I can, when I can. Today is gonna be a quick rundown of a game I played with Zaal 2 against Garryth.

Transfer of Power

I have yet to play enough games to really judge the power of Zaal, Ancestral Advocate, but I think I am starting to unlock him just a little bit. One of the most fun parts of both of Privateer Presses games, at least for me, is acclimating a new Warcaster or Warlock. I like putting each one on the table and seeing how they interact with the game what they do both for me mentally, and what they provide for the models on the board. I also enjoy the pains that they put my opponent through. Watching when and how an opponent reacts to how you’re playing the game and what your abilities are can in a general sense give you insight into how future opponents will react. All of those points, when added together, can give a really solid sense of how a ‘Caster is going to mesh with your style, your faction, and your temperament.

I have a very large, seeping soft spot for Malifaux. Sadly, I can’t tell if its rot or love, but there is just something about that game that gets me. I enjoy the (old) art style of the Ortega Crew, and I very much enjoy having guns, for once, though they seem to not be overly effective. Maybe its me. Its probably me.

However, I recently dipped my toes into the game once again, and the the experience was rewarding! I won’t be looking to set aside time to play the game, but I’ll definilty not shy away from it as I have been.

Advocation

With the Coming of Gencon and the release of new models, there is always the accompanying wailing and gnashing of teeth. Not, I didn’t say some. Entrenched in the very fabric of the Warmachine and Hordes community is the Doom Cycle, and endless repetition of bad feelings, gloom and resigned detachment. However, shortly thereafter, there is nearly always acceptance of the new models amidst the stable of the tried and true. This year’s Great Wail was heard over Zaal, Ancestral Advocate, the new Epic Skorne Warlock.

After trying a number of ways to breakdown the Pantheon into families, especially given that many of the gods are spontaneous creations that aren’t tied to a given bloodline, I think that moving in that direction is an error. While I figure out how to explain how I wish to convey the elemental strength of the gods in a manner that isn’t familial, I’m going to move over to a second primal god and her direct surviving progeny: Nera, Oranna and AmaraanContinue reading